Amiri Baraka's many references in "Jungle Jim Flunks His Screen Test"

Amiri Baraka mentions and critiques a wide range of people, things, and ideas in his poem "Jungle Jim Flunks His Screen Test." I discuss the poem at length in my book, citing Baraka's approach as a notable example of what I call "concentrated cultural cataloging," which refers to artistic creators making multiple referencing in a single composition.  

Here's a checklist of Baraka's references:

• "Night in Tunisia" 

• Adolf Hitler 

• Armstrong Williams 

• Assassination 

• Barbara Bush 

• Benito Mussolini 

• Cab Calloway 

• Clarence Pendleton 

• Clarence Thomas 

• Denmark 

• Devil doo doo 

• Dizzy Gillespie 

• Francisco Franco

• François "Papa Doc" Duvalier 

• George W. Bush 

• Ghouls 

• God 

• Halloween 

• Jeffrey Dahmer 

• Jerry Falwell 

• John Ashcroft 

• Jungle Jim 

• Lynch mob 

• Mobutu Sese Seko 

• Oscar Wilde 

• Police 

• Prison 

• Satan 

• September 11, 2001 

• Spiro Agnew 

• The Devil 

• Theodore G. Bilbo 

• Tor Johnso ("the Swedish Angel") 

• Trent Lott 

• Vampire 

• White people 

• White supremacy 

• Winston Churchill 

• Zombie vomit 

• Zoo dirt

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This entry is part of a series--28 Days & Ways of Thinking about Bad Men & Vulnerable Black Boys.

Note: For a 30% discount, use the promo code 10FEB23 when and if purchasing the book on the University of Virginia Press site.  (For February 2023 only).